


Light and Shadow

by Fyerluna



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-01-18
Packaged: 2018-01-09 04:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1141493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fyerluna/pseuds/Fyerluna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cecil spends some nights at Carlos' house. Things are weird for both of them in completely different ways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Light

Cecil had been staying overnight more often lately. He came by often enough that there was a spare toothbrush in the bathroom for him. Neither of them had bought it, it had just appeared one day along with a comb and a spare set of clothes. Cecil swore up and down that he hadn’t brought any of his things over, but his explanation of a faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone’s house left Carlos more than a little skeptical.  
The first night had been uneventful. Carlos slept peacefully and he woke up to the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee. Cecil looked a bit mussed and but otherwise fine. Carlos found out over the course of breakfast that he hadn’t slept at all that first night, Cecil had simply put the lifetime of experience pretending to sleep living in Night Vale granted him to good use. Carlos told him that if he was going to stay the night he would have to sleep at some point. They went to work. Carlos spent three days trying to get Cecil to set foot in his house again.  
The second night Carlos woke up to Cecil clinging to him. At some point he had curled up on top of the bed with a blanket he must have taken from the linen closet. Carlos had never seen his sleeping face before. He was actually sleeping this time and the light of the dawn made him look fragile, like a doll. Carlos tried to disentangle himself from Cecil’s strong hands so that he could surprise him with breakfast. Cecil woke up with a gasp and pushed himself off the bed in a panic. He peeked up from the foot of the bed, saw that it was only Carlos there and crawled back on top of the covers dragging the blanket with him. He curled up as if nothing had happened and went right back to sleep. Carlos could tell he wasn’t really asleep, he saw no vulnerability in Cecil’s expression. He got up to make breakfast anyway. Cecil didn’t get out of bed until Carlos had finished cooking and was setting the places at the table.  
The third night Carlos woke up to Cecil shaking him awake. He tried to get back to sleep, protested and grumbled the whole way. He felt a cold chill from behind him and wondered if he could fix the draft. He got hit in the face with a lab coat and pants while he wasn’t paying attention. While he was trying to make sense of that Cecil shoved him out of the room.  
Things calmed down for a little while after that. He only woke once to see Cecil’s eyes glowing beside him and in a mirror by the closet. He tried to get Cecil’s attention twice, decided against it and went back to sleep. In the morning all of the mirrors in the house were covered in a thick black velvet drape. When he tried to move the covering over the bathroom mirror so he could shave Cecil plucked the razor from his hand and did it for him.  
Carlos finally got up the nerve to ask Cecil what had happened. Cecil was pouring a bowl of imaginary corn flakes which were somehow making sound in the bowl despite probably not being real. He was evasive as usual claiming he had no idea, that it must have been a dream or something like that. Carlos took a breath to steady himself and spun the kitchen chair Cecil was sitting in to face him. He asked again. Cecil opened his mouth to deny it again, closed it, closed his eyes and held his breath. He lowered his head. Carlos was not prepared for Cecil’s expression when he looked back up. His eyes were dull and focused on something far away. He explained the last few nights truthfully.  
They ate breakfast in silence. They went to work. They came home and had dinner. They went to sleep in the bed they shared. Sometimes they just held each other in the dark and shivered until dawn came. It wasn’t reassuring, it didn’t make either of them feel any better, but it gave Carlos the illusion of control. The light made him feel like he could actually do something, like he could protect Cecil from whatever threats came to the town or were posed by it.


	2. Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cecil's perspective on the same events.

Cecil had been staying overnight more often lately. He came by often enough that there was a spare toothbrush in the bathroom for him. Neither he nor Carlos had bought it, it had just appeared one day along with a comb and a spare set of clothes. Carlos accused him of bringing his things over in secret. Cecil assured him that it was probably just the faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone’s house but Carlos kept insisting that there’s no such thing. Cecil was glad that Carlos had a much longer work day than he did. It gave Cecil time to clean the mustard off the ceiling.  
The first night had been uneventful. Carlos slept peacefully and Cecil made him bacon, eggs, and coffee. Cecil hadn’t slept, he couldn’t get comfortable on the living room couch and he wasn’t going to sleep in Carlos’ bed. That would be imposing and more than a little forward. He couldn’t tell how he’d given himself away but somehow Carlos figured out that he hadn’t slept. He tried to fix his hair. That was probably what had done it. Carlos told him that if he was going to stay the night he would have to sleep at some point. They went to work. Cecil didn’t want to avoid seeing him, but he couldn’t sleep in Carlos’ strange house.  
The second night Cecil came over he stood in the living room for half an hour until he was sure Carlos was sleeping. Carlos was such a heavy sleeper that Cecil knew he wouldn’t wake up when he came into the room. Cecil lay down beside him, getting as close as he dared above the blankets without waking his Carlos. He woke up to something moving under him and pushed away from whatever it was looking for any cover he could find. He pulled the blanket he presumed had fallen out of the bedroom closet and wrapped it around himself. He crawled around the edge of the bed and peeked up from the foot of it. Only his Carlos was there, looking surprised and confused. Cecil crawled back onto the bed and turned away from him. He tried to hide his blushing face. Cecil didn’t get out of bed until Carlos had finished cooking and was setting the places at the table.  
The third night Cecil had to shake Carlos awake. Something was in the house and it wasn’t the usual agent from a vague yet menacing government agency, and it definitely not anyone from the secret police. He made up some excuse to get out of the house and tossed Carlos his lab coat and pants. Carlos was groggy and too tired to move quickly. Cecil had to practically shove him out of the room.  
Things only got more frantic after that. A stray cat got in and Cecil chased it away before it could inject its venom into either of them. Some plastic bags prowled around the yard barking and howling. He called for the sheriff’s secret police who rounded them up and sent them back to the dog park. He noticed a flickering in the mirror and stared into the darkness trying to spot it. It definitely wasn’t the faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone’s house, but he couldn’t tell what it was. Carlos tugged on his arm, mumbling something about turning out the lights and then asking what he was looking at. He waited for his Carlos to go back to sleep. He directed the agent from a vague yet menacing government agency to drape black cloth on the mirror, since the sheriff’s secret police were taking the night off. He helped Carlos shave in the morning.  
Cecil was pouring a bowl of imaginary corn flakes which were somehow making sound in the bowl despite probably not being real. Carlos asked him about the night before. He made the usual noncommittal answers claiming he had no idea, that it must have been a dream or something like that. That should have been the end of it but Carlos spun the kitchen chair Cecil was sitting in to face him. He asked again. Cecil opened his mouth to deny it again, closed it, closed his eyes and held his breath. He lowered his head. Carlos couldn’t possibly want to know the answer to this. Carlos was still waiting for an answer so he looked up. He explained the last few nights truthfully.  
They ate breakfast in silence. They went to work. They came home and had dinner. They went to sleep in the bed they shared. Sometimes they just held each other in the dark and shivered until dawn came. It wasn’t reassuring, it didn’t make either of them feel any better, but it gave Cecil the illusion of control. The shadows made him feel like he could actually conceal somethings, like he could protect Carlos from whatever threats came to the town or were posed by it.


End file.
